Five Reasons Your Unsigned Band Still Needs To Invest In Physical CDs

In the age of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the days of having a merch guy flogging CDs at a gig are long gone. Nowadays, many bands are choosing not to produce physical CDs at all, which in some ways is understandable, due to the landscape of music constantly changing.

However, there’s still plenty of merit in getting CDs done, so long as you do them right. In case you need some convincing, here are five reasons you might want to think twice before ditching physical CDs.

They Make More Money Than You’d Think

Sure, more people are streaming music nowadays, but you might be surprised at just how many people are still buying CDs.

The report also points out that in 2014, physical music sales were worth a huge $6.82 billion around the world.

And, according to this article from the Financial Times, CD sales in the UK fell at their slowest rate in a decade in 2015. CDs, in fact, generated £468m in UK sales, with the article proclaiming that “The death of the CD has been greatly exaggerated.”!

So be sure to look into the numbers before throwing away a potentially lucrative source of revenue!

They’re Cost-Effective to Produce

Another financial benefit is that CDs are actually very cost-effective to produce.

Here at VDC Group, we can produce 1000 CDs in a jewel case with inlay and booklet for £642. This may seem like a lot but it works out at just over 64p per CD, which, even if sold for as little as £3 each, would lead to a healthy profit margin.

Even if you only produce a small run, it’s worth having a few CDs around to sell when each one is making you such a good return on your investment.

Check out our prices here to see just how cost-effective it could be for your band.

Nostalgia Appeal

Depending on your age, the idea of CDs being nostalgic might seem a bit ridiculous. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a nice big vinyl?

Well, while it goes without saying that vinyl sales are doing extremely well at tapping into our nostalgic hearts, for the millennial generation, it’s CDs which take them back to those memories of discovering music for the very first time.

Today’s twenty-somethings are currently riding a wave of 90s nostalgia, celebrating the days before streaming (and even before file sharing!).

Aside from this, there’s something about the humble car CD player that people love, with the majority of CDs winding up sat in the back of a car and brought out for those long road trips where a Spotify playlist just won’t do.

Whether they’re trying to gain some hipster-cred or just never stopped buying CDs in the first place, there’s a definite resurgence in the popularity of CDs and people still like the feeling of physical ownership and actually being able to hold their music in their hand.

Sound Quality

Sure, not everybody is as much of an audiophile as you might be, but if it’s greater sound quality you’re after, then CDs are the only way to go.

After all, the whole point of CDs was to produce an enhanced sound quality and in this sense, they still stand up.

If people truly want to experience your music, then surely they’d rather be blasting it out of a top-quality sound system than listening to an over-compressed MP3 version through crackly headphones?

You’ve Got to Be in It to Win It

At the end of the day, even if you don’t sell many CDs, it’s better than selling none at all.

Regardless of how many actually get sold, people still expect to see a merch stand outside of a gig selling CDs and they’re going to be disappointed if they don’t find one.

The same goes for selling in the shops. Even if streaming has taken over, CD shops still exist and if your band isn’t in them, then you’re missing out!

Plus, it’s important not just to look at CDs as a source of revenue. Fans see CDs as a way to really engage with a band and support them. For example, you could do a signing after a gig to make the CD more of a keepsake for fans.

While we can’t deny that CDs are declining in popularity, they definitely still have a place for a modern unsigned band.

Streaming is great, but sometimes you just can’t beat the simplicity of putting a disc in a CD player and experiencing a whole album from start to finish.

If you’re interested, head here to find out more about our CD duplication and replication services.